The weekly messenger. [volume] (St. Martinsville [i.e. St. Martinville] La.) 1886-1948, 1887-02-19
LOUIE AND I.
BY HARRIET PRESCOTT sPoFFoRD.

II i had been the least bit pretty
shouldn't have been surprised at it all
or il had even b. en- bright aud witty
but such little simp!eton as 1
never in all my life had the least ex-
pectation of lovers. or of any sort of ad
miring glances; and never had any. And
sometimes mother used to say she guessed
it was just as well. for if she had had to
dress two girls out for their pretty looks,
as she did one it would have beggared
he1. Mother only had little money,
just barely enough to live on, and some
of the principal going every year, but it
wouldn't have been in human nature,
having daughter so pretty as Louie.
not to want her to have the best that
would set off her peach-bloom beauty
and, for my part, never grudged Louie
a rose or ribbon. ] couldn't have worn
them ii had had them, for was far
too proud to try to do what Nature
hadn't, or to pretend thought such
things became me; and liked my print
dresses and plain collars better for my.
self.
But when Louie was dressed in her mus
lins TIL sh- looked like one of the old
fashioned blush roses, 50 white without
and so dclicately flushed within, her
lovely yellow hair breaking out in !nny
curls all over her head, and she all radi-
ant. rs you might say, with her skin, her
smiles, her teeth, her great blue. beam
ing eyes-then | used TO like to look at
her az much as any of Der lovers did; to
look at her as l would look at any lovely
picture; and she always turned from her
gaycst scene--thc dear tile person-to
give her sweetest smile to me.
so when Dennis began all at once to
come to our house, as if he had just seen
Louie for the fIrst time in his life. | was
only delighted. For every one who knew
him loved and hOnored Dennis Reed. who
was the sou of all integrity; and il he
wasn't a beauty himself, he was stalwart
son of Saul, and had the incest tile place
in the region-a cottage up a lane. over
looking the river, and with a wood be-
hind its orchard and across the railway
cut, to keep off the east wind-if the
east wind could ever blow in that sunny
nook with garden spot made and
blooming in every Granny of the rocks
around it,
lie marie her, and took her away
and happier nest of singing birds than
that in the little cottage among the rocks
and flowers could nowhere have been
found, unress it were in my own heart,
at the sight of the happiness there.
But then mother fell sick, and it took
all my time to care for her; and couldn't
60 up to Louie's very often; for had
everything to do at home, and was tired
out by uightfall, and often up half the
night besides. Louie couldn't very well
come down often; and if she had come,
abe wouldn't have known what to do.
Poor mother! Once | remember, she
said to me, al don't know but it's more
satisfactory to have one daughter plain,
than anything else" And it made my
heart bound And then 1 rcproached
my selfishness in caring to have her say
that over Louie's head, as it were; but
remembered it long afterward. and some.
times it used to give Inc a throb of JOY
when everything was drcary, aud /
seemed TO be alone in the world.
For mother died presently. And then
1t turned out that she had been living on
her little property more than we had
dreamed, and Loue's outfit and her
owa hong illness and its bills had used
up money. And when everything was
paid, they had only enough left for me
to hire one room as a sort of refuge when
l came home at night from working at
my trade; for had quite knack at
dressmaking. i did not put on mourn
ing; for l was glad that mother was out
Of pain, and | was glad that she was
gone before she knew that all the prop.
erty was gone, and she, with her proud
spirit, would have had to be dependent.
But Louie dil-ald oh what beauty